It is now a common practice to identify surfaces, such as buildings, beaches, streets, etc., using various imaging techniques. These techniques, in essence, rely upon a prestored image or a data model, against which newly arriving image data is compared.
Techniques that use prestored images rely upon two basic givens, namely 1) that there is in fact the ability to create the pre-stored image in the first instance and 2) that a received image can be properly matched to the stored image.
In situations when a data model of objects is created, the following assumptions are made: 1) that an accurate model can be created and 2) that there are enough clues, or indices, in the stored data model and in the unknown image data to make a highly probable guess as to the identity of objects or surfaces in the image. Since dire results might occur if mistakes are made, particularly where such image comparisons are used for ordinance guidance, it is critically important that both of the above assumptions be true and that the pre-stored data be as accurate as possible.
In some situations, it is difficult at best to even generate the pre-stored image to the degree necessary for accurate error free subsequent image identification. One of these situations occurs when the image is subject to change over the course of time. A day and night infrared image of the same surface area would appear different because of the inherent difference in radiation conditions. Thus, when a factory is being imaged, that factory would have a different appearance in the infrared image depending upon the time of day and upon the ambient environmental conditions at the factory site. There are many other examples of images which have different characteristics at different points of time and it is not possible or feasible to obtain actual images of the same topography under all possible situations.
Thus, a need exists in the art for a system and method of generating pre-stored images representative of surfaces as they would appear under conditions other than when the image was actually generated.
A further need exists in the art for a system and method which can extract various indices from an image pertaining to the character of the surface, thereby increasing the probability of an accurate object identification from the image.